15 posts from March 15, 2013

March 15, 2013

The press will be allowed to attend the Broward Republican Executive Committee election Monday night, a reversal of the plan earlier this week.

Interim chair Christine Butler, one of the candidates, had previously told the Miami Herald that the media would not be allowed to attend the election Monday. That stance drew criticism on blogs and one of her opponents, former Davie mayor Tom Truex, also spoke out against it

"People think you have something to hide when you don't conduct business in an open manner," Truex told the Miami Herald.

Butler called the Miami Herald Friday to say that the full meeting Monday night will be open to the press. At future meetings, the press can attend to hear speakers and general announcements and then the media and other guests will be asked to leave for the member comments portion at the end of the meeting.

"It's not because we were not being transparent or wanted to hide anything," Butler said. However, "members want to be free to say what they like."

Other candidates include activists Bob Sutton and Jim Gleason. They are competing to replace Rico Petrocelli who quit after just a couple of months saying he had differences with the board.

The election will be held at the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek in Fort Lauderdale. Members start gathering at 6 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7 p.m.

The Miami Dolphins have been assembling a political team behind the scenes to handle what would be a sprint of a campaign for a May referendum to approve a potential, partly taxpayer funded deal to renovate Sun Life Stadium.

Topping the list of names is Michael McKeon of New York, who worked as communications director for former Gov. George Pataki, advised former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign and helped sitting Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Also in talks with the Dolphins are two veterans of President Barack Obama's Florida reelection campaign last year: campaign chief Ashley Walker and spokesman Eric Jotkoff. Jotkoff has already been handling some of the Dolphins' communications.

Commissioners would have to vote in early April, at the latest, to set a potential May 14 referendum on any stadium proposal. State law requires Miami-Dade to notice a special election five weeks before it takes place, according to the elections department. Some preparations must begin about two months before each election, so the department is already testing voting equipment and plans to reach out to poll workers and polling place operators in the coming week to gauge their availability, department spokeswoman Christina White said.

The online slot machines operated by strip mall Internet cafes, adult arcades and Miami-based maquinitas willl be officially outlawed under a bill to pass the House Select Committee on Gaming Friday.

In a 15-1 vote, the House Select Committee passed the bill (HB 155) just days after state and federal authorities arrested 57 individuals with ties to a purported veterans charity organization that collected almost $300 million from illegal gambling operations at 49 Internet cafes in Florida. Only about $6 million was given to veteran groups, according to investigators.

The House measure, by Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, would take effect upon becoming law and, sponsors say and will not interfere with existing investigations. It clarifies that the web-based gambling devices are illegal because they are games of chance, not games of skill as they are promoted to be. Legislative leaders expect it to reach the governor's desk by the end of the month.

The bill was supported by an unusual coalition that included the Florida Chamber, the pari-mutuel industry, the greyhound racing association and the Florida Baptist Convention. Notably abset were any lobbyists or advocates for the Internet Cafe industry, who previously had aggressively sought to regulate the games, not ban them.

Lawmakers in Tallahassee are slashing more than two dozen outdated, overlooked and just plain unpopular education laws. Teachers say it's a sign of the ever-changing state of education reform in Florida, where public-school policies come and go.

A topsy-turvy week in Tallahassee finally comes to an end on Friday as Florida moves on without a lieutenant governor following the sudden resignation of now former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.

With the Senate shut down for the day, only the House members are at the Capitol. So here are just three things to watch on Friday:

The House Select Committee on Gaming takes up a bill to ban the operation of illegal gaming devices run by Internet Cafes. The measure is on the fast track after a federal and state investigation led to the arrest of 57 people in six states, including Florida.

State economists meet to estimate the state’s general revenue projections for the next year. The Revenue Estimating Conference will provide legislators with the revenue outlook on which to build a budget. It is expected to be the first positive revenue outlook for the first time in six years.

Florida House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston and Democratic Leader Pro Tempore Mia Jones chat with state capitol reporters at 11:30 a.m. at the at the House Democratic Caucus office. The subject: mainly health coverage.